Not if you disable JavaScript.

It is very hard to hire in the UK.

Good part of it is because the salaries are too high because everything is crazy expensive. The second thing is that people do put many restrictions. We had a position that we had a bare minimum bar but we said that we needed the candidates to understand well few topics and they simply said they wouldn't. I am not saying like "become specialist in Fortran in 3 weeks" But more like, learn SQL and database well enough to not make a 1 Million USD query and we heard, more than once, that they did not want to learn SQL and if they needed they would just quit the process.

It sucks for everyone folks. This AI bubble will soon burst. People are already seeing diminished returns with each new model and AI is not returning value as everyone promised.

Now it is the hard part which is a bunch of suit guys trying to excuse that no one could foresee it was going to happen like everyone said it would

Don't live in the UK nor take extended career breaks without an explicit and formal sabbatical.

The reality is the author worked in PR and Comms in the UK.

Live below your means and max your savings and investment to FIRE out of the workforce as soon as possible, because you have no control over when you will be made permanently redundant by your age or employers unwilling to hire. The fix is a permanent jobs program to offer jobs to those who want one who cannot find one in the private market, will that fix come? Unlikely. If you cannot find a job, you're simply SOL in the current socioeconomic and political system configuration.

Assuming the above, best case, you work as long as you want to work (until retirement and/or death). Worst case, you're not in poverty when you're no longer able to find work. "It is what it is."

OP's issue isn't an AI issue though - it's a "working in PR&Comms in a relatively stagnant economy" issue.

There will not be any universal income. That's a discourse so people don't act early on it despite the hundreds of problems already found.

My dad is in his 60s and is still landing interviews (even in big tech) with his resume and no networking.

Are you actually up to date on your skills and in a tech hub?

Are you expecting remote first? If so you have to change your expectations - remote first is only for known entities now.

Edit: You live in Russia. No one will hire you out of risks of sanctions. Your only option is to leave like other Russians in your shoes.

Edit 2: The risk of secondary sanctions for Western and Dollar/Euro transacting businesses only began in 2024-25.

This is why I don't buy many of the "woe is I" stories on HN. Dig a little and massive red flags come up.

Very, very few people are going to have a social network that does more than get a foot in the door.

Typically, referrals have positive impact like making sure your application gets looked at by a human and possibly tips a "maybe" into the candidate's favor for scheduling a phone screen or moving to the next round of interviews.

There are plenty of very talented people with large networks of former coworkers who will attest to their capabilities and give them referrals, who nonetheless are still struggling to find work.

Here on HN we're definitely a minority, but in the real world, saying you want to be in the office isn't that weird.

Most remote workers will also tell you they do not hate on-site. Being at the office, meeting co-workers is great for mental health.

What's not great is schools end in the afternoon, young children can't be left alone at home. What about a sick kid at home? These are real problems that our society has washed it's hands off expecting people to 'figure it out'.

Also spending an hour in commute is no fun, more so if you are a family person.